A Little Late is Still too Late
by NicoxMaki
Summary: Nico confesses her love to Maki, only to get rejected. For a week, Nico avoids Maki and Maki starts to feel weird because of it. Maki tries to confront her because of it, but when she tries to talk to her, she hears someone confess to Nico. At first, she wasn't sure how she really felt, but soon realizes it when she hears that Nico accept it. (Read and Review!)
1. Is This What I Deserve

Hello everyone, and I hope your prepared for this. And I'm sorry to all NicoMaki shippers, but this won't end the way you want it. Hopefully you all enjoy and forgive for the ending.

This story may last 2-4 chapters, but I'm still deciding. Although, I may take while in updating this to let the feelings sink in.

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Live!

* * *

A regular day after practice and Nico and Maki were alone after everyone left, so Nico could talk to Maki.

"Ne, Maki…"

"What is it?"

"What would you do if someone confesses to you?"

"Ehh, why?"

"Just curious."

"I would probably reject it."

"Why, what if you were close to that person?"

"Why are you asking all of this, well anyways, I'm pretty sure I would still reject it. After all, there isn't anyone I like right now."

"I see, but what if I were the one to confess to you?"

"Wha-"

"Maki, I love you. Would you go out with me?"

"…" Maki was dumbfounded by it, but she already knew what she would say, what she had to say. After all, she's pretty serious about school and her parents would probably never let her go out with a girl.

"Sorry Nico-chan, but I'm not going to say yes."

"Ehh?"

"Face it Nico-chan, can you imagine us dating? You and I will always just be acquaintances."

"Acquaintances? You don't even consider me as your friend!" Nico suddenly got up and got angry after hearing her saying that word. It hurt that she was rejected, but it hurt more that in Maki's eyes that she isn't even considered a friend.

"Wait, Nico-chan-"

"No, just stop there, I already get it."

"What are you talk-"

"You don't see me as a love interest, and you don't see me as a friend. So, let's just stop talking or interacting with each other!" Nico ran out of the room as fast as she could with her stuff.

"W-wait a minute, Nico-chan!" Maki tried to catch up to her, but for some reason Nico was just so fast that she couldn't catch up. "Nico-chan…" Maki finally lost Nico and just stopped running.

* * *

The next day…

Maki was walking through the hallway and saw Nico.

"Nico-chan." She walked towards and even called out to her.

"…" Nico just walked past her and ignored her completely.

"Nico-chan." Maki tried to call out to her again, but someone distracted her and she lost sight of Nico.

"Maki-chan." It turned out to be Hanayo.

"H-Hanayo…" She saw a serious face on Hanayo's face.

"Let's talk Maki-chan."

"O-okay." They walked to the roof and it was quiet because there was no one there.

"Hanayo, what is this about?"

"Nico-chan confessed to you, right?"

"Ehh, how did you-"

"Nico-chan told us she was going to confess to you yesterday. That's why we all left after practice."

"I see."

"What did you say?"

"I told her no, but she got mad at me afterwards."

"Why?"

"That's probably my fault. After she confessed to me, I told her that us dating was just impossible and that we were just acquaintances."

"Acquaintances, you didn't call her your friend?"

"No, that's why she's pretty mad. She was already sad that I rejected her, but was hurt more when I told her that we'll always just be acquaintances."

"So, she thought that she isn't even your friend."

"Yeah…"

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Is she your friend, or just another acquaintance?"

"Ehh, s-she's a friend, a close friend."

"Then why did you say acquaintance?"

"I don't even know."

"Why don't you leave her alone for a while, let her calm down for a bit."

"I guess so, but how long should I leave her alone?"

"Until you feel it's right Maki-chan." The bell rang to return to class. "Now, let's go back to class, okay."

"Okay…"

Maki accepted the fact Nico distanced herself and even sat far from her at the clubroom. Instead of sitting next to Nico, she sat in between Hanayo and Rin, while Nico sat next to Eri at the edge of the table. Every day, Nico neither talked to her, looked at her, nor even mentioned her. The atmosphere was always tense when the two was in the same room, Nico didn't even pretend to be happy or even smile, she was just, reclusive and became solitary. No one could talk to her properly, and no one can even talk to her for more than minute. Her current mood was nothing like the regular Nico that would always smile, fake smile or even a real smile. Nothing, but a blank and lonely face was there. No emotions, no concern, just...nothing. And Maki felt like she was to blame.

* * *

Maki didn't feel good about it, but she accepted the fact Nico avoided her for a whole week. The entire time she was avoided made her feel all weird and lonely, but for some reason, it also hurt too.

When it hurt so much that she couldn't take it anymore, she tried to talk to Nico after school. So, she decided to go to Nico's class, and when she got there, she saw Nico, but she wasn't alone.

"Nico, I love you." Maki hid herself and went up against the wall, when she thought she couldn't be seen, she tried to see who it was confessing.

"No way, Eri…" It was Eri confessing to Nico; she was holding on to Nico's shoulders and was very close to her. For some reason, how close they were to each other made it seem like someone just stabbed her right at her heart.

"Eri, why are you telling me this?"

"Because I don't like the way you've been acting and how sad you look. I know you really liked Maki, but don't let her affect you this much." Nico looked into Eri's eyes to see if she was lying, but no, it showed true concern, honesty, and love. Eri's eyes were how she wished Maki would've looked at her with, but she knew it would never happen. Maki would never love her, she wasn't even thought of as a friend.

"I want the Nico who smiles so much, the one who tries to be strong when everyone else is crying. The one I love." Eri hugged her so tightly in her arms, amd even though Nico was so sad, she felt a little better. The fact she was cared for this much by someone other than her family, the fact that the arms embracing her were filled with warmth.

"I want to be the one who is near you when you feel like this, or even when you're happy. As long as I'm near, I thought that would've been fine. But when you told us about your feeling for Maki, it hurt, it hurt me so much. But I still kept quiet about my feelings, because...because when you love someone your own happiness doesn't come first, but the one you love. That's what I thought at first. And when I saw what happened after you confessed, I was mad that she hurt you. I knew that she couldn't make you happy, all she did was hurt you. She didn't even give you a chance, did she?" That earned a few quiet sobs from Nico because it was true, Maki rejected her right away and just told her it was impossible.

"Because of how you felt about her, I thought it would be fine if you ended up together, but now… but now."

Eri tightened the hug and Nico started crying in her arms, while hugging Eri back. Tears were also beginning to flow from Eri's eyes after hearing Nico cry.

"But now, I won't let anyone else hurt you like this. So, please accept my love, accept me to be your lover and the one who will be with you forever. I want to protect you from this pain, so let me be the one you love as well."

Eri's confession hurt Maki more than the week of not interacting with Nico. It hurt her how much Eri cared for Nico, it hurt that Nico was actually listening. It even hurt because she knew she was the entire reason Nico was like this right now, and she knew. She knew that maybe even after she talks with Nico, they may never be the same after all this.

"I know I hurt you Nico-chan, but please… please don't accept Eri's confession." Maki thought as she cried, while biting her lip to make sure that she wouldn't burst into loud sobs right there.

They hugged for a while, until Nico moved away from Eri. Eri thought Nico would finally give her answer and because of that she felt very nervous. It was truly nerve-wrecking.

"Nico-chan, please… You told me you loved me, didn't you." It took an entire week of distance and Eri's confession to finally realize the feelings she may have always had for Nico. She thought it was too late, but still hoped that Nico would give her a chance to make up for it. "I know I don't deserve it, and I know I don't deserve you. But please! Please give me a chance to show you I love you!"

"Okay, Eri…"

"Ehh?" was what went through Eri and Maki's mind.

"I'll accept you to be the one I hold dear. The one I will love, the one that makes me feel better just like what you did now." Maki and Eri were just shocked, but Nico continued. "I'll love you Eri, it won't take long for me to feel the same as you. After all, you just made my heart beat so quickly just now."

"I'll give you the chance Maki never gave me." Those words that came from Nico's mouth felt like her heart was being ripped from her body, but, but it was the truth. No matter what she thinks, or even feels, she knows it's the truth. She never gave it a chance and that was her biggest mistake.

Maki gathered her courage to peek in there again, but only to find Nico pull Eri into a kiss. That sight made Maki's heart burst into a million pieces, so she ran away. Far enough to try and forget about it, but it didn't work no matter how far she was, the pain was still there. So, she just ran all the way home. There was no one there, and that made her feel better that no would see her like this, but also sad that no one could comfort her like Eri did for Nico.

"Nico-chan…" Maki's thoughts were only filled with her as she lay on the bed in the dark. "I probably deserved that, right. This is probably what you felt when I rejected you, so I guess it's only fair that I feel it now, right?" This time she spoke aloud, although no one could hear pained voice.

"If only I knew it would hurt this much to see you with somebody else, I would've never done that!"

"Wahh!" Maki could no longer hold in her tears and sadness back any longer, so she just sobbed loudly.

In the empty halls of the Nishikino house, all that could be heard that night was the sobs of Nishikino Maki.

* * *

The very next day…

Maki came to school, but it was obvious she wasn't feeling well and she really looked like it. Hanayo and Rin noticed Maki's strange behavior almost immediately.

"Maki-chan…" The two approached her quickly.

"…" Maki didn't even feel like replying.

Hanayo and Rin looked at each other, and they both knew it had something to do with what happened with Nico. So, they decided to wait after school so that everyone could help Maki, but what was announced before they could even tell the other members, shocked not only them, but the entire group.

"Everyone, Nico and I have something to tell you." Everyone focused their attention to the two. "Nico and I are going out now."

"...!" It shocked everyone, but it made Hanayo realize why Maki was depressed.

"…" Maki just sat quietly at the corner of the table, not saying anything, not looking at anything. She looked away from everyone, but before she did Hanayo noticed a tear falling from her eyes and knew that Maki was hurting from what Eri announced to them.

"Is it true, Nicocchi?" Nozomi was in doubt because Nico just told everyone she was in love with Maki a week ago, but now she was going out with Eri.

"Yeah, it's true."

"But what about..." Nozomi looked to where Maki was, and just didn't continue. "Never mind."

"..." Everyone knew how Nico felt for Maki, so if Maki rejected her they would've accepted that. But they didn't really believe the fact that Nico moved on so quickly, especially since how serious she was when she told everyone that she loved Maki.

"Nico-chan..." Honoka called out to her.

"What is it?"

"Do you mind if we talked for a bit?"

"...fine." The two walked out and after that someone had to talk to Eri.

"Eri-chan." Kotori and Hanayo decided to be the one who were going to talk with Eri.

"Its okay, I know." She stood up. "Let's go." The three walked out of the room and headed somewhere with not to many people.

Umi, Nozomi, and Rin were the ones left to talk to a sobbing Maki.

"Maki-chan, I think you know we need to talk." Nozomi approached Maki first.

"I don't need a lecture Nozomi, so just leave me alone."

"It's not a lecture, but I think you need to realize why you're hurting so much right now."

"I already know why I'm hurting so much..." They could hear Maki stifling her sobs and it pained the three to see her like this.

"Why Maki-chan, why are you hurting so much?" Rin kneeled to where Maki was looking at and it really brought her down when she saw how much Maki was crying, how much pain it looked Maki was in.

"Because I finally realized that I loved Nico-chan all this time, but it was already too late..." After finishing her sentence, she just broke down. "Nghh..." Maki but her lip down as hard as she could so she doesn't break down right there, but it was futile. "Wahh!" She started crying as hard as she could, so the three instantly surrounded her, trying everything they can to make her feel better.

Nozomi was rubbing her back to at least soothe even just a little of her pain, Umi hugged her from the back and tried to hold back her own tears because seeing Maki like this pained her so much, and Rin was just rested her head on Maki's lap and Maki could feel Rin's tears which made her cry even more knowing that she made her friends cry as well.

The clubroom was just filled with sadness and tears, so they waited for Maki to calm down enough to tell them what she really wants to say, but just can't because of the pain.

To be continued...

* * *

Hey guys, so I'm not even going to ask if you liked this because you may not feel so happy after reading this. So, all I'm going to ask you for is your opinions on this and also to tell you some painful words, but often ends up as the truth.

Love is a painful thing, it also can be happiness if you try to treasure it and cherish the one you love. But, if you don't even realize it and let it slip away from you, it may get taken away from you. You have to realize the importance that some people have in your life, it's not just romantic love, but family love and the love you have from you friends. If you never realize their importance and take them for granted, whether or not it was your intention, something great might just slip away from just from saying a few words with empty meanings. They may mean nothing to you, the person who's saying, but the person who's receiving those words may take it seriously. So, my point is to cherish what you have and not let slip away from you.

Thanks for reading this story and my (probably) worthless explanation and BYE BYE!:D


	2. Who Do You Truly Love

Hello everyone, I think I have given you all enough time to let the feelings sink in, so here's the next chapter. Please don't hate on Nico or me after this chapter. After all, what would you do in this situation.

Please enjoy and I do not own Love Live!

* * *

Nico and Honoka walked to somewhere that irritated Nico, only because it was the place she would always find Maki. They stopped at the entrance of the music room and entered.

"Nico-chan…"

"What did you want to talk to me about Honoka?"

"…"

"Please don't waste my time, if you have nothing to tell me I'm leavin-" Nico tried to leave, but Honoka finally said something which caused her to stop.

"Why did you do it?" Nico was confused at what she could mean.

"Do what, what are you talking about?"

"Nico-chan, weren't you serious about Maki-chan?"

"!" That shocked Nico, but she held her ground. "I was, but not anymore."

"Nico-chan, you and I both know feelings don't change so quickly. Something must've happen to change your mind, but your heart is telling you differently, isn't it?"

"!" Nico was once again shocked by Honoka's words.

"She rejected you didn't she?"

"…" That just stung her heart.

"But even so, that wouldn't have been enough for you to just give up. The Nico-chan I know never gives up so easily."

Nico only glared at her. "Why is she choosing now, to act so smart?"

"Nico-chan, I don't know what happened between the two of you, but-"

"That's exactly it!" Her sudden outburst surprised Honoka. "You don't know what happened, so just stop butting into my business, okay! Leave me alone…" Nico tried to walk out as fast as she could and was already at the door when Honoka decided to speak again.

"So, are you just going to let this continue?" She stopped in her tracks.

"Just because you were hurt, you're going to let Maki be hurt as well?"

Nico gritted her teeth in anger, trying so hard to contain the feelings swelling up inside.

"Did you ever really love her? You know it was never really love if you just give up!" Honoka started raising her voice. "You only truly loved her when you've done everything you possibly can to get her to love you back…"

"You never truly loved her when let her go like this." Nico was standing at the door in silence, in awe by how wise Honoka's words were and how true they were.

It was true that she was rejected, but she just gave up so easily. She was angered by Maki's choice of words, but she never even gave Maki a chance to explain what she was about to say. Maybe there was a reason for that, or that could've just been a force of habit. After all, Maki really didn't have a lot of people that she could call friends. They were mostly acquaintances, but before she could think about things more deeply, Honoka's last sentence before she left truly rang in her ears over, and over.

"You never truly loved her when you intentionally hurt her like you did earlier." With those words Honoka left the music room and walked somewhere else.

Nico just stood at the door, frozen. "What did she say? I hurt…Maki, how?"

Looking back at the clubroom, Maki never once looked Nico's way. She thought there was a reason for it, but could it have been because of what she and Eri announced earlier.

"I'm so stupid!" Nico face palmed herself and ran out of the room, but before she could get far, something stopped her.

"Nico-chan…" Nico looked back and saw who stopped her.

"Kotori… please let go, I need to talk to-"

"No, Nico-chan, you and I need to talk first."

"Wait, I thought you were talking to Eri?"

"I did, she told me what happened yesterday."

"So, what would you need to talk to me for?"

"Please, you'll know once we talk."

"But…" She thought about Maki.

"No, it's important we really have to talk." Nico looked at the seriousness in Kotori's face, it was kind of how Honoka's face looked like earlier.

"I-I see… okay then." Kotori then lead her to the roof, but as she led Nico to the roof, what happened earlier with Eri and Hanayo was stuck on her mind.

* * *

A little earlier with Hanayo, Kotori, and Eri at the student council room…

"Eri-chan-"

"I don't think you need to explain to me what you want to talk about." Eri stood by the window which she just opened.

"Why did you do it Eri-chan?" Hanayo asked.

"Because I loved Nico…"

"But you knew how she felt about Maki-chan."

"So, am I just supposed to ignore my feelings then!" Eri suddenly yelled

"!" Kotori and Hanayo were pretty surprised that Eri would yell all of a sudden.

"She and Nico only met this year, and Nico suddenly falls in love with her! How was I supposed to deal with that?!"

"Eri-chan, you've loved Nico-chan for a long time, haven't you?" Kotori asked, as if she spoke from experience.

"I kept all of my feelings hidden for a long time, but I knew one day I would have to confess because my heart wouldn't be able to take it anymore."

Eri kept her face concealed from her two juniors.

"Why did you never tell her then?"

"To be honest, I was actually going to confess to her that day."

"That day?" Kotori and Hanayo were confused.

"The day she told us she was going to confess to Maki."

"O-oh…"

"When she told us that, I thought I never had a chance at being with her, but when I saw what happened after Nico confessed. I just knew she was rejected, but more than that, Maki said something to hurt Nico."

"Eri-chan…" Kotori looked at how concerned and slightly angry Eri's face looked as she recalled the memory.

"I just knew that even though it was wrong of me to do so, I took the chance and confessed to her. I told her how I truly felt and how hurt I was when she was hurt. At how I wanted to protect her from feeling that pain."

"But Eri-chan-" Hanayo tried to speak, but was cut off by Eri again.

"I know she may have only said 'yes' because she was still hurt, I know she only kissed me on impulse, but still I love her enough to risk being hurt after she and Maki makes up. Even if this only last… for a little bit… at least I was… happy with Nico… even just for a day…" Eri was finally breaking down into tears. The sight of her crying made Hanayo and Kotori feel miserable, especially at the last words Eri told them before she sat down on the seat to cry.

"At least for a day, Nico was my girlfriend…" That made Kotori run out of the room to look for Nico, while Hanayo started crying along with her senpai.

* * *

"Kotori, Kotori…" Nico snapped Kotori out of her flashback.

"Ehh?"

"We're already at the roof, so we can talk already."

"Right…"

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Nico wanted to hurry and talk to Maki already.

"Well, Eri-chan told us what happened yesterday."

"!... So, what about it?"

"Why did you accept Eri-chan's feelings just like that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Nico-chan, I know you think what you did yesterday made her happy, but all you did was hurt her!"

"What?"

"Eri-chan's loved you for a long time, but you just didn't notice! What you did yesterday was just lead her on and make her hope for something that you may never give her! Which is your love, care, and attention! Tell me Nico-chan, what went through your mind when you accepted Eri-chan's confession!"

Nico was shocked yet again by how the usually happy and laid back members of Muse were acting so seriously because of what happened to her and Maki.

"Did you even think about Eri-chan, or just yourself! Because of what you did Eri-chan's crying her heart out because you accepted her confession and even kissed her, but she isn't even really happy because all she's doing is waiting for when you'll break up with her to be with Maki-chan!"

"S-she's crying? Because of me?"

"Yes, and it's all because she's loved you longer than you think, or even longer than you could even know!"

"W-why are you telling me all this?"

"You were heading to the club room because you think Maki's in pain, right?"

Nico nodded in reply, which only made Kotori a little angry.

"But she's not the only one in pain, Nico-chan tell me who do you love? You told us you loved Maki-chan, but you kissed and agreed to go out with Eri-chan! You're sending mixed signals to those two and are hurting them in the process!"

Nico could only listen as Kotori scolded her about her actions. It was true, what reason could she possibly have had to agree to date Eri and even kiss her. Maybe she also had feelings for her, but something in her heart told her that Maki was the one she loved as well.

Nico was slowly being confused, but her confusion was interrupted by Kotori, who told her something before taking her leave.

"Nico-chan, I know you're pretty confused right now, but you shouldn't talk to neither Maki-chan or Eri-chan, until you figured everything out."

"What are you talking about Kotori?"

"What I'm saying is, you should stay here until you're sure about what you feel. Whether it's Maki-chan you love, or Eri-chan. You should listen to your heart, instead of letting your mind confuse you. Listen to your feelings and figure out who makes you happy. Who do you think about more, or why she's the one you think of the most."

"Remember based on your decision, someone will get hurt. I'm afraid that the person you don't choose will be that person, but only you can decide this. No matter what we say or do, it's still up to you."

"So just stay here until you're ready, but if you don't hurry, someone just might take them away, okay." Kotori finally left the roof to go somewhere else, leaving Nico to sort out her feelings.

"Eri, or Maki? Is she really asking me to choose between the two?And based on who I talk first that's who I choose?" Nico was frustrated, but then grinned to herself.

"But its obvious who cares about me the most and who I really love!" Nico then dashed out of the room. "I can't believe I even took time to think about this! It's already obvious that I love..." Nico slammed the door open, shocking everyone inside.

She walked towards the girl in the chair, took a deep breath, and prepared herself for what she was about to do.

"I Love You! I always have!" Nico yelled to the girl crying on the chair, which only seemed to make her cry even more.

To be continued...

* * *

Hey guys, so what did you think? Tell me your thoughts on the chapter and who you think Nico confessed to? Is it Maki, or Eri? Although, you have to wait in order to find out, hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Thanks for reading and BYE BYE!:D


	3. I'm Sorry is All I Can Say

Hello everyone, I hope you're all prepared for heartbreaks in this chapter. But don't worry, no one will be sad by the time this story ends.

So, I hope you enjoy and I do not own Love Live!

* * *

In the clubroom, Maki has finally calmed down enough to explain to the three girls what happened between her, Nico, and Eri.

"So, you saw how the two got together yesterday and became upset." Nozomi said after Maki explained. She still sat at the seat left to Maki.

"Why didn't you talk to Nico then?" Umi asked.

"I-I couldn't face her after what I saw yesterday. I was too upset after seeing it, so I just ran away from there as fast as I could and when I couldn't forget, I just went home and… and just went to sleep." Maki really didn't want to tell them she cried herself to sleep.

"Maki-chan, you should talk to her." Rin said from across Maki.

"I-I can't."

"Why not?"

"I can't face her anymore. I hurt her, so when she hurt me, I kind of deserved it."

Umi took the seat right from Maki's. "No one deserves to be hurt like that Maki, but you need to sort this out with her."

"B-but, Umi-"

"Maki, you'll never be over this if you don't tell her how feel. Like how she confessed to you, you need to confess to her even if you end up being rejected."

"U-Umi…" Maki looked at Umi and found herself looking into her eyes.

"Maki…" Umi saw how Maki stared at her and blushed a bit."

"Okay, you two, we should really look for Nico so Maki can talk to her." Nozomi interrupted the two's eye contact with each other.

"O-oh, uh… yeah." Maki stopped staring into Umi's eyes and quickly looked the other way.

Just as Nozomi mentioned it, the door swung open.

"…!" The four were surprised by the sudden entrance of another person.

"K-Kotori, you surprised us."

"Sorry Umi-chan, but I just finished talking to both Eri-chan and Nico-chan."

"What did Ericchi say?"

"She told us that she's had feelings for Nico-chan for a long time and that she doesn't expect her relationship with Nico-chan to last very long."

"Why does Eri think that?" Maki asked.

"Oh, because she thinks Nico-chan still loves you. She believes that Nico-chan only accepted her confession because she was upset with what happened between the two of you."

"Did Nico-chan tell her that?"

"No, she just assumes it's the truth."

"Has Nico-chan talked to her yet?"

"No, I told Nico-chan to stay at the roof until she sorts out her feelings. She seemed pretty concerned about the both of you before I left her, so she was confused about her feelings at first."

"So, she isn't sure if she loves me or Eri?" Maki looked to the side to gather her thoughts.

"Maki-chan, how about you how do you feel about Nico-chan?"

"I-I love her."

"Then you should tell her, even if she doesn't pick you in the end or if she does. You should let her know how you feel."

"I know... Is she still in the roof?" But before Kotori could answer, the door opened again.

"...!" The new arrival truly shocked everyone.

"Nico-chan..."Maki said as she saw Nico enter, she stood up as Nico walked further in to the room.

"Nico-chan, I really-" Maki stopped as soon as she saw Eri walk in to the room and stood next to Nico. "Eri..."

"Maki, can we talk?" Nico asked Maki, who looked a bit dumbfounded.

"Y-yeah, sure..." Maki followed Nico, who walked out of the room.

Maki and Nico exited the club room and walked to the roof, leaving the Eri with the previous members that were in the club room.

The four were about to ask Eri something, but she suddenly Eri started crying, so the other members thought they knew what happened already.

* * *

With Nico and Maki at the roof...

"..." There was only silence for a while, until Maki spoke up.

"N-Nico-chan..." Maki walked closer to Nico who was leaning on the railing on the roof.

"Maki, can you tell me something?"

"W-what is it?"

"How do you feel about me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you have feelings for me?"

"!" Maki was surprised at Nico sudden question, but she already knew the answer.

"Yes, yes I do! Nico-chan, I love you and I'm sorry that I hurt you before."

"I see..."

"Nico-chan?"

Nico turned around to face Maki and smiled at her. For some reason, it made Maki's heart beat a little faster, but also made her nervous.

"I'm really happy that you've decided to return my feelings Maki."

"Nico-chan!" Maki felt happy at Nico's words, but her happiness was soon interrupted.

"But..."

"But?" Maki gulped, nervous at what Nico will say.

"But, I'm afraid I no longer feel that way about you. I can't accept your feelings."

"Ehh, Nico-chan what are-"

"What I'm saying is that my feelings for you may have been what I felt for someone else. It just took me a while to notice and finally realize."

"N-Nico-chan...*hic*" Maki began to sob in front of Nico, though it pained Nico to see that she had to continue explaining.

"Maki, the feelings of love I had were real, but they weren't for you. I didn't realize it until I talked to Honoka and Kotori, but I should've when Eri confessed to me because for some reason I didn't know at the time. My heart was easily swayed by her, the words she was saying to me, it felt as if she was putting me in a trance."

Maki was crying sobbing more and more as Nico continued to explain. Her heart was truly aching, as if it was being stabbed numerous times, and worse, the one stabbing her was the one she loved.

"She's loved me for a long time, and I think I knew about her feelings and felt the same way about her, but I don't think I ever realized it." Nico walked a little closer to Maki.

"I'm so sorry if I hurt you and made you expect something, but I will no longer hurt the person I've loved all this time because, even if it took me awhile, but at least now I can finally see the person who's loved me all this time."

"But I've loved you all this time too!" Maki suddenly shouted to Nico.

"Maki..."

"Just like you, I never noticed it, but these feelings didn't just suddenly pop up. I've loved you ever since we performed our first live together. The way you sung and danced left a mark in my heart."

Nico walked in front of Maki and started wiping away her tears "Maki, I appreciate your feelings for me, but I can't return those feelings back because Eri's the one I love."

"Why, why does it have to be Eri? Why couldn't it be me?" Maki lost all her strength and fell down to her knees.

Nico kneeled down to her and hugged her. "I'm really sorry, but I'm sure there's someone who loves you and if there isn't anyone like that right now, I'm pretty sure there will be in the future. I'm sorry, but it can't be me."

"Wahh!" Maki broke into tears for the second time today, but this time it was more than just painful. She felt as if a part of her was torn from her, or an important part of her just disappeared as if it was never there.

As Maki continued to cry, Nico was there to comfort her, but they knew that this would be the last time it would be Nico that would comfort Maki like this. In the future, it will be someone else and that one will be the one who will love Maki and be loved Maki.

* * *

With Eri and the Muse members in the club room, while Nico talks with Maki...

"Ericchi, what happened?"

"Oh sorry, you must be worried to see me crying like this Nozomi."

"Yes, so what's wrong?"

"Honestly, nothing." The four were surprised by that, especially since Eri just started crying all of a sudden when Nico left. "I'm just so happy."

"Happy? Why are you so happy that you're crying?"

"Nico told me she loved me and that she truly does loves me. I really didn't expect that and I was surprised at first, and I didn't even believe at first. But, then she proved it to me..." Eri turned red and became quiet.

"Proved it? What do you mean, what did she do?" Rin asked her.

"S-she kissed me... And I could feel Nico's true feelings and then I knew... I knew that she does love me." Eri smiled and Nozomi, Rin, and Kotori smiled at how happy Eri was, but Umi suddenly ran out of the room.

"Umi-chan!" Kotori yelled as Umi made her exit.

"Why did she Umi-chan suddenly run off like that?" Rin asked everyone else in the room.

"I don't know, but maybe it has something to do with Maki-chan."

"What do you mean?" Nozomi asked Kotori.

"Well, I don't exactly, but I get the feeling that Umi-chan may have a crush on Maki-chan."

"How do you know that Kotori?"

"I don't know, it's just a hunch."

"Could it be you know what it's like?" Nozomi only meant to tease Kotori, but by the looks of it, it seemed that Nozomi was on the mark. "No way... I was right."

"N-no, I don't have a crush on anyone."

"It's Honoka, isn't it?" Eri said bluntly.

"Ehh, uh no, of course not..." Kotori was red and tried to hide it by looking the other way, but her secret was already exposed.

"To be honest though, we kind of expected you to like Honoka-chan that way." Nozomi said plainly.

"R-really, was I that obvious?"

"No, its more like, hmm... we thought that it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"You and Honoka-chan are really close after all." Rin added.

"And the two of you grew even closer after she stopped you from going to that school abroad."

"I-I see, but do you think Honoka-chan knows?"

"Honestly, even I can't figure that out." Nozomi said, making Kotori a little disappointed. "But, why don't you ask her?"

"I can't just suddenly ask her that! What if she freaks out because if my feelings?"

"Don't worry about that, I'm pretty sure she already knows." Nozomi said playfully.

"But, I thought you said that you didn't know."

"Yes, but she knows now because she's right here." Nozomi walked up to the door and opened it, revealing a surprised Honoka just standing there.

"H-Honoka-chan! How long have you been there?" Kotori's face took a whole new shade of red.

"K-Kotori-chan, is it true?"

"W-what is?"

"That you like me?"

"U-umm... Uh... I can't answer that!" Kotori ran outside and tried to avoid Honoka, but was easily caught by the arm by her.

"Tell me Kotori-chan, do you like me?" Honoka pulled her and they ended up was extremely close to each other's face, which only added to Kotori's nervousness.

"Y-yes, yes I do..." She said under her breath, but Honoka heard it anyway.

"Oh that's good then, I thought you didn't like me."

"So you feel the same, Honoka-chan?"

"Of course I do, we're best friends after all." That line just made everyone shake their heads and think "Honoka that's the type of like she means".

"Mhh... Stupid Honoka-chan!" Kotori teared up and tried to run away again, but was, yet again, caught by Honoka.

"Sorry, I just felt like teasing you for second there Kotori-chan."

"Ehh, what do you mean?"

"I mean, I like you too Kotori-chan." Honoka pulled her close and briefly kissed Kotori on the lips, and when she parted from it, she stuck out her tongue. Kotori, on the other hand, couldn't take what just happened calmly and fainted from happiness.

"Ehh, Kotori-chan?" Honoka caught Kotori the instant she fainted.

"She'll be fine Honoka-chan, she's just too happy." Nozomi told Honoka as she helped bring her inside the club room.

"Okay then, but can I ask you all something?"

"What is it Honoka-chan?" Rin beat Nozomi and Eri to the punch at saying his.

"Why was Umi-chan suddenly running towards the roof?"

The room turned quiet again, not knowing how to explain it properly to Honoka what just happened before she arrived.

* * *

Hey guys, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I added this last part with Honoka and Kotori because for the past two chapters, all I've done is make you cry with the drama. So, I hope the scene with Honoka and Kotori made you smile in some way, or even brightened you up a bit. Anyways, what do you think will happen next? The next chapter is most likely going to be the final chapter of this story, so I hope you all enjoyed this story. Hope to read your reviews about your feelings!

Thanks for reading and BYE BYE!:D


	4. The Ending

Hello everyone, hope you're all prepared for this. I'm not going to keep you from reading this, so enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Live!

* * *

At the roof with Nico still comforting Maki…

"Nghh…" Maki was still crying while being embraced by Nico.

"Maki, I know I probably shouldn't tell you this, but… I have to go."

"W-what, you're already leaving?" Maki looked up to Nico, her face red from sobbing.

"I have to."

"You don't 'have to', but you just want to."

"That's not-" Nico was interrupted as Maki pushed her away and distanced herself from Nico.

"Forget it, save your excuses! If you want to go, then just go!"

"M-Maki…"

"I said go!"

"…I-" Nico was about to say something, but couldn't find the right words to say. She began to walk to the door to the roof and as she opened the door, she turned around to look at Maki one more time. "I'm sorry." With that she left the roof, but as she walked down the stairs, she encountered Umi.

"Umi…"

"Hah… Nico, is Maki alright?" Umi asked as she panted.

"W-wha-, why are you panting so much?" Nico asked, disregarding the question Umi asked.

"N-never mind that, is Maki okay?"

"Um… not really, she's still crying a lot."

"Okay then, I think I'll talk to her." Umi started walking towards the door to the roof, but was stopped by Nico.

"I know you want to make her feel better, but I think she just wants to be alone."

"She already is, but I think what she needs right now is someone comforting her."

"Umi…"

"Maki loved you and you hurt her twice. Eri has you and you have Eri, but who does Maki have? I know you think being alone is good for her right now, but I think differently."

"…Man, I guess I can't argue with that." Nico let Umi go. "Fine, go and talk to her."

"I will even if you told me not to." Umi started walking, but Nico told her one more thing before she was out of sight.

"Good luck with what I think you're going to do."

"Thanks Nico."

Umi made her way to the door and before she even opened the door, she could hear sobbing. That stopped in her tracks, but it only made her more worried about Maki. She opened the door and at first she couldn't see Maki, but she walked along the wall and found Maki bundled up and crying at the corner.

"Maki…" She slowly walked towards Maki.

"…I want to *hic* be alone, so *hic* can you please leave." Maki cried as she spoke.

"I'm not going to leave you all alone while you're like this." She sat beside Maki.

"…Why not *hic*, it's not like*hic* you have a reason to stay."

"I don't need a reason to stay by your side when you're crying your heart out. You don't have to be alone when you're like this." Umi wrapped her arm around Maki and pulled her close. "You'll feel better when someone's by your side when you cry."

"U-Umi..." Maki said as she felt the warmth from Umi's body surround her. It was different from Nico's embrace. Nico's hug felt like it was just because of pity or guilt, but this hug, this hug from Umi held a different meaning.

"Umi... Umi!" Maki clutched onto Umis shirt, gripping it tightly with her fingers. As she continued to tighten her grip and say Umi's name, Umi held her closer and closer.

"Wahh!" Maki continued to sob heavily to release her frustration and pain. As time passed with Maki sobbing, Umi tried to gather the courage to Maki her feelings.

Although, with what happened earlier, she was finding it quite difficult to say. She knew she had to say, but she knew Maki had a lot going right now and she didn't want to burden her even more.

"Hey um, Maki."

*sniff* "W-what is it?"

"What do you think about love?"

"Huh, what do you mean?"

"How do you feel about love, before this happened and even after it did, what do think about it?"

"It's quite painful, especially if it ended up like it did with me. I don't think I'll ever love anyone the same way I loved Nico. I think I'll always doubt when someone tells me they love me and the doubt the fact that I will ever be loved the way I want."

Umi thought that maybe, maybe she may never get a chance like this. She can confess to Maki and also help her know that love can happen with her. A love that's real, a love that care, a love that's there.

"Do you think you can ever love again?"

"...I don't know, maybe not."

"To be honest, I was hoping you would say yes, or I don't know what will happen in the future."

"Eh, why would you hope for that?" Maki raised her head a bit to look at Umi.

"Because, I know someone who loves. I mean really, really love you. The same way Eri loved Nico, this person waited for a while even after realizing this love and even gave someone a chance to love you. But after this person saw what happened between the three of you, they started to struggle of keeping their feelings locked up inside."

"It sounds like you really know how this person feels, are you close to this person?"

Umi chuckled and thought "Huh, even Maki can be pretty oblivious sometimes as well. I guess she can't know everything, no matter how smart she is."

"I guess so, we're practically the same person."

"Wow, so you must be really good friends with this person. Does Honoka and Kotori know this person?"

She chuckled again. "Yup, they know her alright."

"So who is this person that loves me so much, and is she really a good person like you make her sound?"

"I don't know, do you think I'm a good person?"

"Yeah, after all, here you are sitting and consoling when I was feeling sad. You had no reason to do so, but you're here anyway. I think you're one of the nicest people I know of right now..." Maki slouched and put her head down on her legs, looking as if she was thinking deeply about something.

Umi smiled at her. "Then you have your answer."

"Huh?" Maki noticed what Umi said and thought it sounded weird, so she picked her head up and looked at her.

"If you think I'm a good person, then the person I was talking about is a good person."

"Huh?" Maki was still confused and Umi knew she had to spell it out for Umi.

"After all, the person I'm talking about is me."

"W-what?" Maki was both surprised and confused.

"It's me, the person who loves you is me."

"Umi..."

"I thought you would've figured out the moment I said that we were practically the same person, but I guess i had to say it after all." Umi chuckled at how puzzled Maki looked.

"W-what did you just say Umi?"

"I said that I'm the one who loves you."

Maki turned her head away from Umi, for some reason she was embarrassed. She didn't know if she should say yes or no.

After she rejected Nico, a lot of things went wrong, but if she accepts Umi's confession. It may just be because of fear of repetition, and not because of her feelings and that will just be wrong thing to do to Umi.

"I-Is this a confession?"

"Yes."

"I-I see... But, what if I say I can't answer right now."

"I'll say I understand and that, until you're ready." Umi pulled Maki close and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll wait for you."

"Can you really do that?"

"Of course."

"I see..."

"But now, that you're feeling better, do you think you can go back to the club room."

"Y-yeah, I guess so."

"Okay then." Umi stood up first and reached her hand out to Maki. "Here, take my hand."

Maki looked up to see Umi reached her hand out and for some reason, it made her want to smile, but she hid it until Umi couldn't see her anymore.

Maki grabbed the hand and Umi pulled her up. When Maki was already standing, she suddenly hugged Umi.

"Thank you for this and for being able to wait." was all she said until she let go of Umi and ran out of the room. She was heading for the club room with the smile she kept from Umi on her face.

Umi was left behind, but she didn't mind after what Maki just did and told her. She sighed and then looked at the empty space of the roof where they would usually practice.

"Yeah,I can wait. After all, there's still time." She then headed to the club room, running so she could catch up to Maki.

"Love lasts after all." Maki thought as Umi finally caught up to her. Together, they headed to the club room, being more than friends, but still less than lovers. "Even after I move on, the love I had for Nico was real and it will still be in my heart even if I love someone else."

They were close to what they wanted, but not quite just there yet. Although, they still have time until they head separate ways, and even though they don't end up together. They will always have each other, no matter what.

THE END.

"Our first love is the one hurts the most, but then again all love that ends badly, will hurt. But if we take a chance at being hurt, we may find a chance at true happiness, even if it takes longer than we think."

* * *

Hey guys, so this is the ending of both this story and currently Love Live. I'm still sad that the season is over, but glad that there will be a movie. Hopefully, though they come up with a way to make a season 3 even after the seniors graduation.

Anyways, back to the story. I hope you all forgive me for not pairing everyone up, but I thought it will be better to end it up this way. I know that Nico and Eri and Honoka and Kototri were the only ones together in the end, but that's fine isn't it. And I know that Maki and Umi didn't really end up together, but after what happened between them. I think they will become more than friends even if they are not lovers. Love comes in many different forms and a strong friendship is one form of that. This is just the beginning of what may happen in the future so who knows. And maybe one day, I may think about doing a sequel about this about their journey to love, but not right now. I hope you all understand the ending and accept it(Sorry if you really didn't like it.)

Not all endings are good, and not all endings are bad. The real ending that really matters is the one we decide on and that can be either.

So, thanks for reading this and BYE BYE!:D


End file.
